The institute recently sent a number of representatives to the 6th International Human Rights Education Conference in the Netherlands. RWI’s main panel discussion centred around the institute’s work throughout the world to promote human rights through education and research.
The panel consisted of staff from the institute’s programmes in China, Turkey, Cambodia, and the Middle East and North Africa, as well as from the unit focusing on National Human Rights Institutions.
We asked a few questions to Emma Melander Borg, the head of RWI’s unit for Europe and Middle East and North Africa.
Why is human rights education important?
Human Rights Education (HRE) is an efficient method that leads to human rights change in societies. Through human rights education, both individuals and civil society and government representatives are empowered to integrate and practice human rights in their functions and through their respective positions and roles, contribute to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights. Through HRE for example, a police officer can not only understand which human rights apply to her work, but also relate to the persons she meets in her work with respect and understanding of their rights.
What did you take away from the conference?
The annual human rights education conference is the key event for us who work in the human rights education sector. It gives us an opportunity for reflection and learning. But the most important aspect is always the networking and meeting people that we might not have met for a while. It is useful to meet regularly (even if it is not so often) – and really a pleasure too.
Did you have any reflections?
Yes, it became even more obvious how relevant human rights education always is, and now it felt more important and topical than ever before. I am so impressed by the human rights education sector and how important the work is that we all do. Human Rights Education is managed by people who really want to influence the world around us and meet the challenges of the time. These days, a lot of the discussion is very much geared towards refugees – their needs and the needs of societies to adapt and adjust to new challenges.